Nightmares
by Grissygibbs
Summary: After the fall of Malekith and the death of Odin, Jane finds herself trapped in a palace away from home, and her only source of companionship is a prince whose under house arrest.


**This is my gift for Startraveller776 on tumblr for the Gathering Astorfrost Gift thingy. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the idea. **

She was lonely, always lonely. He kept her here, bound with magic and shunned from death.

She asked to go home.

He refused.

Harsh words were exchanged, a door slammed in her face, and she didn't see him again for months.

* * *

In the end, it was the silence that finally made him snap. Thor had gone to war with the Jotuns once more, leaving his mortal here against her wishes. Frigga hid away in her chambers, still grieving the loss of her late husband. Not even the servants dared to grace the halls.

One soul did however shuffle through the corridors, dragging behind her a dark gloom that suffocated anyone caught within.

In these days he simply watched her, contemplating the mystery that was his not-brother's mortal. In the end, he could find nothing of great interest. All she did was mope around the palace till night settled in and she slept in whatever room she could find, so it was no surprise when she turned up in his bed one night.

* * *

Jane wandered till her limbs threatened to collapse her. She turned to the nearest room, a bedroom drowned in deep greens and greys, and curled into the bed in the corner.

That's how he found her, whimpering softly into his pillow, sheets tangled around her legs.

She awoke to him watching her. No words, no sounds but her rapid breathing. Just emerald catching chestnut till the chestnut finally burned out.

When she awoke once more, he was gone.

* * *

She began stay in his room, preferring the quiet company to the loud solitude of the other rooms.

At first, he would find her curled up on the couch, the pillows kicked away, the blanket tangled around her. Her soft whimpers filled the room.

He would just stare at her, wondering what tormented her rest. Was it Malekith, the Aether? The silver band around her wrist shinned in the firelight, a reminder that the dark elf failed to completely remove the substance from her body.

Eventually he would carry her to his bed, leaving the couch for him. He didn't sleep much anyways, just stared into the fire, taking pleasure in her quiet cries of fear as she slumbered on.

* * *

She tried to drown them out, to completely exhaust her mind past the point of activity in slumber. But no matter how many tomes she tried to decipher, no matter how many hours she spent wearing down her limbs to a dull ache, the nightmares persisted.

She stopped her attempts at exhausting herself and simply enjoyed the companionship Loki offered her. Most nights were spent in silence, she would read one of his books while he simply watched her. But every once in a while, they would talk. Simple conversations, usually her asking about palace affairs; how his mother was, is the library open, have the guards and palace staff come out of hiding yet?

_Where's Thor?_

She regretted the words the moment they tumbled from her lips. He froze, eyes gazing murderously at the fire. The room had turned cold, the chill penetrating the thin gown she wore.

Slowly, he turned his gaze upon her, and she gasped at the ruby warring with the emerald there.

She could tell he was trying to keep calm, surpassing the tremors that ran marathons through him. He took deep, shuddering breaths, his eyes never leaving hers.

_Why do you care?_

Thor left her here, he said. He went against her wishes, and instead of taking her home, kept her a prisoner in the palace. He kept the growing Aether under control with magic, binding it with the silver band to keep her from killing anyone.

_Just like me._

She doesn't remember how, but she suddenly found herself pinned between the wall and Loki's masculine body. The green returned triumphed to his eyes, but the chill that suffocated the room earlier seemed to pour off him in waves.

His hands were on either side of her head, his eyes captivated hers.

_Can you handle being a monster just like me?_

His right hand came down to grasp her left, fingers intertwining, the twin silver bracelets jangling together.

His eyes were drawn to her lips, her tongue dancing across the bottom slowly. He leaned forward, brushing her lips lightly with his. The small gasp she released was enough to make him kiss her harder, catching her bottom lip between his teeth.

In the end, it was her sweet moan, breathy and full of want, need, _desire_, that made him snap. His free hand went down to warp around her lower back, pulling her flush to his chest. She responded by tangling her hands in his hair, the raven locks flowing through her fingers like water.

Loki dragged them away from the wall to the bed, easily pinning her under him, careful not to crush her with his weight. Her soft gasps and moans filled the room as sharp fangs grazed her neck and taloned fingers explored her body.

* * *

He walked through the halls with quick purpose, making his way to his brother's chambers. He hoped to find Jane immedently upon his return, wishing to amend their relationship.

However, Thor was angered to learn from the curiously elusive palace staff that Jane had been occupying her time in the company of his brother. He would find him and figure out what Loki had done to her.

Before he knew it, Thor stood before his brother's room, the door slightly open and firelight from the dying embers shone through stubbornly. Bracing himself, he placed a hand against the oak and gave a gentle push.

The sight before him made him freeze with dread. Loki's iridescent eyes shone brightly in the ever growing darkness of the room, watching him from where he lay on his bed.

But it was the body curled into his side that Thor stared at. Jane's head lay on his brother's shoulder, her soft curves forming to the length of his body as she slumbered peacefully, unaware of the monster whose hand gently caressed her hair, whose arm wrapped around her waist possessively.

That's how he left them, Jane snoring softly into Loki's neck, the sheet dangerously close to revealing her to the chilly night air, and Loki's smirk of pure triumph forever branded in his mind.


End file.
